Brighton Academy to open charter school in The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- When Brighton Academy opens the doors to its newest location at 10801 Falconwing Drive this fall, Sam Houston State University will be there too.

SHSU has partnered with Brighton Academy to open a public, open-enrollment charter school for students in kindergarten through third grade.

According to an article by Julia May at Sam Houston State University, charter schools are publicly funded and held to the same standards as traditional schools -- but tend to have more flexibility in teaching and grading methods.

The school curriculum is approved by SHSU professors.

Dr. Ronny D. Knox, Ed.D., superintendent of SHSU Charter Schools, said Brighton Academy in Indian Springs is the perfect location for their charter school debut in The Woodlands.

"They have great classrooms, it's easily accessible to parents, it connects to a park, and it's a facility we can grow into," Knox said. "We've also heard great things about Brighton's programming for pre-K and early childhood education, so that's the kind of partner we were looking for."

While SHSU Charter School is for students in kindergarten through third grade this fall, a grade will be added each year until it reaches fifth grade. Knox said they also plan to incorporate a year-round schooling calendar in 2018-2019.

The partnership not only benefits elementary school students, but college students as well.

"Our College of Education students will be able to get different experiences in nontraditional settings," Knox said.

An information session is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday April 27 at Brighton's Panther Creek location, 10400 Gosling Road. Information packets are also available at that location.

For more information, visit brightonacademykids.com or call 281-465-4111.